


Fractured Souls

by Kokoai



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-19 23:07:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10649979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kokoai/pseuds/Kokoai
Summary: Sorey, his childhood friend. His best friend. Who he’d spent years believing would be his One and Only. Yet here they stood, both about to graduate from university, and make their first big step towards the rest of their lives. And Mikleo still had no mark.





	Fractured Souls

**Author's Note:**

> So glad to have finally gotten this out. It's been stewing for about a month with a number of off and on work sessions, but it's finally come together.
> 
> Largely inspired by this [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57ED_5uvOV8).
> 
> A big thanks to [soymilkheaven](http://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverKitsune/pseuds/SilverKitsune) for beta reading and helping me out with this!

Fifteen different conversations floated through the air; Sorey overhearing the occasional word or two but he’s focus stayed on the clock, ticking far too slowly. He continued to twirl a pencil between his fingers as he moved only his eyes to seek out a mass of silver hair on the opposite side of the classroom. If anyone would spend the last twenty minutes before spring break talking with a teacher, it’d be Mikleo. Sorey sighed as he slid his arms across his desk in order to lay his head on them. They’d gotten their semester long research papers back, and even though Mikleo had gotten the highest grade in the class, he still had concerns he wanted to voice.

“Oh my, is there something wrong with his paper?” A voice chimed from beside Sorey. Lazily he turned to a blond girl.

“Nah, he just wants every letter to be perfect because he’s gonna use it for college applications or something.” Sorey responded with a light flick of a hand.

“Well that’s good. By the way, have you made any plans for break?” Alisha held a finger to her chin. Sorey sprang up, bouncing to the edge of his seat.

“Oh Maotelus do I! But, I’ve been keeping it a secret from him, so keep an eye out for me?” Alisha had been taken aback by the sudden energy, but nodded once his question registered.

“Okay, so it’s taken a headache of planning and talking with mom, but I’m taking Mikleo to Elysia.”

“Oh wow that’s…. Wait, he doesn’t know about this?” Her expression seamlessly shifted from sparkling to questioning.

“I really want to surprise him as much as possible.”

“That’s… oddly romantic Sorey.” She chuckled lightly behind her hand.

“I definitely won’t complain if this turns out to be our Connection.” As soon as Sorey finished, Alisha gave a quick nod towards his side.

“That’s a solid choice for sure.” Sorey had not only started a new topic, but changed his entire body language in mere seconds. Mikleo hadn’t questioned a thing, beyond picking at all of Alisha’s potential college choices. Top college picks became the conversation for the remainder of class.

Tolling of bells created a hasty scurrying of footsteps throughout Ladylake High. Less than five minutes after chiming ceased, the halls were earily quiet. Save for two sets of footsteps. Mikleo’s hands kept at organizing all the papers he’d received from Mayvin. Sorey turned towards the ceiling, hands coming to rest at the base of his neck.

"Going to Pendrago again?" He let his eyes fall sideways, but forced every other muscle to stay.

"I doubt it. Mom says it's getting expensive to go so frequently." Aquamarine tipped silver hair swayed as his head shook slightly.

"Oh, then that means you can come with us to Elysia."

"Elysia!?" Mikleo stammered against Sorey's ear to ear grin.

"Mom made all the arrangements. But it was my idea." His hands slid to his sides as they stepped into the library. Seeing that flustered face of Mikleo’s, complete with huffs and incoherent mumblings, made the struggle of hiding this worth it.

"But it's so far, especially for just a week."

"Which is why you need to be ready to catch the train tonight."

"Tonight? Sorey, I have no time to prepare!"

"Good thing I did most of that for you." A voice laughed from their side. Mikleo spun to face a long haired brunette with eyes matching his and a gold circle inlaid with a green gem against her forehead.

"Sweet. You're the best Muse!" Sorey exclaimed as he bounded over to the librarian.

"I'm trusting you to keep him relaxed." She giggled lowly when Mikleo rolled his eyes. Sorey threw an arm around the boy's shoulder, nearly knocking his glasses off.

"You've got my word that he'll come back as putty." Sorey's beaming met with a soft smile. Without another word, Muse reached below the counter and passed over a large white accented turquoise duffel bag, and then a smaller gold bag. Eyes widened and bounced between bodies as hands gripped the handles.

"Thanks again Muse. I wanna grab a couple books for the ride if that's alright." She nodded and he bounced towards a corner of the library.

"Mom..."

"Enjoy a break for once. And you've only mentioned visiting Elysia... seventeen times this semester. Forty-three for the year so far." She held a finger to her chin as she spoke. Mikleo found himself at a rare loss for words, but hoped his smile would suffice.

 

Sorey, once out of sight, leaned against a shelf, hand over his chest. Controlling himself with Mikleo so excited and astounded all at once had been nearly impossible. Sorey sat, catching his breath, while he envisioned them in Elysia. Standing in front of whatever caught Mikleo’s attention. Those violets absolutely sparkling in the sunlight, or moonlight. And the Sorey leaning over--

_No, no, no!_ He couldn’t think like that. Not yet. Not until they had their Connection. Their Marking. Where would their marks appear he wondered as he forced himself to turn around and start pulling the books he came for.

Slow steps brought him back to Mikleo, who scrutinized the collection in his arms.

"We don't need to know the cities history just to visit." Mikleo scoffed, taking half the books before looking over at Muse.

"How can we get the most out if this trip otherwise? I don't want to miss out on an amazing site just because we didn't do our research."

"...not like I just did a ten page research paper..." Mikleo muttered.

"Yeah yeah. C'mon, mom's waiting."

Detailed planning hadn't been a strong suit for Sorey, but Selene had taken care of everything from travel to lodging to emergency contacts within Elysia.

With all attempts to find something missed found futile, Mikleo settled into his seat. Sorey already had his nose buried in ink. One look in the rear mirror and Mikleo knew exactly which book. He’d only read it twice for the sake of his paper.

Beneath the Marks: A History of Soul Marks. The entire book had been written within Elysia, a small hill top village that had spent centuries tucked beyond a maze known as the Aroundight Forest (tourist had come to dub it the ‘Around and Around Alright Forest’ due to how frequently visitors got lost). Between that book and a following documentary that had both traced Soul Marks back to Camlann —the so called Origin Village located a distance behind Elysia— tourism for the village rocketed to unimaginable heights. So much so that there’s actually a restriction on how many tourists can be there at any one time.

_____________________

Dotting the pathways, built into the hill itself where numerous cafes. While most where recent additions, the one that had caught the scrutinizing eyes of Sorey and Mikleo; Sticks and Feathers. Themed around the native population of Elysialarks, both boys found it quirky yet uniquely Elysia, unlike the others that focused on Soul Marks.

Mikleo chuckled when their waitress handed them egg shaped menus. Only a few minutes were spent making their decisions. Turning towards the window, Mikleo propped his head against his palm. Sorey traced a pattern on the table. They gone around the whole town seeing everything they’d ever dreamed of, save for what lay past the hill Mikleo’s eyes were on.

_It’s so hard to not tell him._

_Just keep him there for thirty minutes. The look on his face will be worth it._

_You ever gonna tell me how you’re pulling this off?_

_When you get here._

Sorey sighed at that last message, and drew Mikleo’s attention.

“Mom wants to meet up with us after we’re done here.” Sorey couldn’t tell if his nerves showed. Mikleo hummed lowly, glancing sideways at him.

Sorey tried to carry conversation for a while, but he’d have gotten more out of a brick wall. He slumped into his chair, as if he’d become part liquid while a pout curved his lips. He started to say something, but words stuck in his throat. Orange sunlight sparkled in silver hair, turning aquamarine tips purple. Bright violet burnished with gold in a way Sorey doubted any artist could imitate. There had always been a beauty to Mikleo that he couldn’t quite describe but this hit whole new levels. Sorey hadn’t realized he’d been silently staring until Mikleo cleared his throat.

“Uh, sorry…” Sorey’s head turned away as he scratched at the base of his neck. Mikleo let a large sigh roll through his body.

“Where are we supposed to meet Selene?” Mikleo cocked his head towards Sorey in a way that his bangs fell to reveal gold set against his forehead.

“I think…” Sorey paused to check his phone, which showed a message from Selene that preparations were finished. Mikleo resisted leaving the cafe, but Sorey’s incessant nagging finally lifted him.

Sorey couldn’t have spoken if he wanted to, meanwhile Mikleo kept humming both questioningly and in frustration. Continually looking to Sorey for any indication of where they were going met more silence. Though Sorey did notice the growing silence as they traveled further up the hill. Past the point where tourists were turned away, Mikleo stepped closer to Sorey, clutching his sleeve.

Hesitantly, Sorey started to slide an arm around Mikleo’s waist. Meet no resistance let him relax a bit. After a few more minutes, they came upon a flickering torch resting against a sign written in ancient tongue. Next to the sign stood a short brunette woman with sparkling green eyes identical to Sorey’s.

“Started to think we’d missed you.” Sorey commented as they came to a stop. He took a quick glance at Mikleo, unsurprised to find his attention stretching past the fence before them.

“Lords I can’t believe how you two have grown.” A voice bellowed from behind Selene. A moment later, a man with shoulder length light brown hair and sharp purple eyes appeared.

“U-uncle Micheal?” Mikleo stammered. Micheal stood with hands on his hips, scanning over Mikleo, then Sorey, and then zeroing in on Sorey’s arm. He turned towards Selene, a hand coming to shield his mouth as he spoke in a normal tone.

“Has it happened already?” Instantly, Sorey went red. Mikleo, a moment later after he’d finally registered Sorey’s arm.

“Dammit Sorey!” His voice shook while he jumped away from Sorey. Selene tried to stifle her laugh behind speaking.

“I take it you boys are ready?” Sorey nodded, taking a step forward only to be caught by the wrist, wide violet eyes staring straight at him. With a soft smile, Sorey took Mikleo’s hand and gently pulled him along.

Trembling ran all the way through Sorey’s arm as they passed through the gate held open by Micheal. Mikleo turned over his shoulder at the sound of a click to notice they weren’t being followed.

A long winding trail led further and further until without warning, decrepit buildings surrounded them. Thousands of artists illustrations came back to Mikleo, only for him to realize how accurate and inaccurate they were. Suddenly, Sorey let go of his hand and spun to face him with hands on his hips and a teeth revealing grin.

“Welcome to Camlann!” Sorey boasted. Mikleo went wide eyes, sputtering and muttering.

“S-sorey! How-how… they— this is—” Staying in one stop for more than a nanosecond proved impossible.

“I don’t know the full details, but Mom, Muse, and Micheal all know a full blooded Elysian who I guess has a high enough ranking to grant access to here.” Sorey started to explain, pausing to let Mikleo breath.

“Figured there was no harm in asking, but man I never imagined we’d actually be here.” Sorey laughed loudly. Incoherent mumbling returned for a minute before Mikleo’s head snapped up, looking past Sorey. With a hum, he twisted to follow the gaze.

Barely walking, Mikleo sped up the hill, Sorey only steps behind him. They came to the most intact building, but the building wasn’t what Mikleo had focused on. Embedded in the dirt wall beside the structure, sat a stone relief carved with intricate designs all around. Two figures stood just off center on each side, a waving looping line traveling between them. Above them, a large design of a dragon with two stretched wings curling and then ending an a zig-zag.

A light gasp came from Mikleo, and then his hand grabbed Sorey’s.

Lightning ran through Sorey, making him weightless. Existence faded away as he stared at only Mikleo. Mikleo, who shimmered like mist before a rainstorm. Violets sparkling more than any diamond could hope to, his almost translucent skin feel both warm and cool. Everything about him glowed brighter than Sorey had ever seen. Heart beating against his ribs, Sorey brought a hand up, only to let it drop to his hip where a sudden pulsating beat. Surely he had no oxygen left, yet he gasped when Mikleo met his gaze with a bright smile. Like a needle threading fabric, Sorey felt himself pulled to Mikleo even though neither had moved.

“Sorey?” The single word made him shiver, but also brought him back to reality. Not a thought had been spared before Sorey pulled Mikleo against him, arms preventing escape. Mikleo squirmed briefly, sounds of discontent low. Just as Mikleo settled into the hold, Sorey realized what he’d done and lurched away. Crimson ran through his face. A light pulsing on his hip still, and he knew what had happened. But why hadn’t Mikleo said anything? Oh, maybe it’s just a bit delayed… I think I remember reading that happening some times.

With that thought, Sorey turned back to the relief before them. Not long passed before Mikleo was tossing out theories for Sorey to either add to or refute. Sorey happily took the distraction as they slowly made their way around the rest of Camlann. Resisting every urge to touch Mikleo even briefly felt like fighting Maotelus himself, yet Sorey persevered. And then all too soon, their night came to an end when Selene hollered for them. While reluctant to leave, they didn’t hesitate in lightly jogging back, Mikleo turning it into a race, which he lost by a long shot.

Their remaining days in Elysia would pass by all too quickly, though with growing dread for Sorey.

______________________________

Ladylake’s community college held many fond memories over the last three years. Though now came the time to decided for certain on his major. Sorey had taken the route of finishing all his gen ed classes while figuring out specifically what he wanted to do for a career. He’d expect, or more hoped, Mikleo would be the same, however, Mikleo knew exactly what he wanted. He’d known since high school.

“L-Lohgrin… that’s… on the other side of the continent…” Sorey muttered himself.

“Yeah, but they’ve got one of the best Anthropology programs. And I’ve already been offered nearly a full ride.” Mikleo’s response was calm and matter-of-fact as he collected papers off his desk. Sorey, sitting cross legged on Mikleo’s bed clutched his ankles.

“But we wouldn’t get to see each other.” Sorey’s heart beat with the words. Hearing them aloud had been worse than mentally.

“Sorey, we’re in our twenties now. I think we can handle being apart for a while. Plus, it’s not like we’re soul mates.” That last part struck Sorey like an ice cold rod. His fingers almost twitched towards his hip, but he’d trained himself well to resist.

“What… makes you think we aren’t?” Every ounce of Sorey’s courage went into uttering those words. He’d thought them for months, practiced them for years.

“We’ve known each other our whole lives. If we were, our Connection would have happened already.” He spoke nonchalantly, as if they were discussing a time line of historical events. Sorey’s silence went unnoticed for a long while, but then Mikleo turned towards Sorey.

“So Lohgrin. It’s really that great?” Sorey picked up the pamphlet sitting on Mikleo’s desk.   
  
“Sorey, it’s more than I could have hoped for. The program is structured fantastically, all the professors have amazing reviews, the worst complaints are about the workload—”

“But you like an insane workload.” Sorey’s interjection was both to contribute and to put a pause to how radiant Mikleo was becoming.

“Exactly. I can’t see any down side.”

“So that’s it?” Sorey mumbled, a trembling creeping through his body.

“You can’t seriously still be stuck on this belief that we’re soul mates?” Sorey opted for silence. His head fell while hands tangled in his sleeves. Mikleo has started pacing, rambling on incoherently. He stopped abruptly, facing Sorey.

“Look, maybe this is what we—you— need. I know you can’t afford Lohgrin’s tuition. I mean, I can’t either. I just got lucky with winning that scholarship.” He paused as Sorey barely sniffled.

“But you can’t keep planning your life around me. You’re soul mate is out there somewhere. If you keep following me though you’ll never find them.”

Tears stung Sorey’s eyes, and without a thought he bolted from Mikleo’s room and house in only seconds.

 

  
Long minutes passed before his sobbing degraded to hiccups. A hand continually stroking his hair made for a sufficient distraction if he chose to focus on it. Not for a second had the throbbing in his hip subsided. His hand started to move towards it, only to be caught by the person who’s lap he rested in.

“I promise you, it’ll hurt less if you leave it alone.” Selene’s soft voice had been absent for almost an hour, her presence alone comforting.

“Will it really get better?” His voice hoarse and strained.

“In time yes, but,” she paused to push away the fabric covering his mark. “There’s still color.” She smiled at him as her hand came up to brush sticking bangs from his forehead.

“But he’s…”

“Going to Lohgrin, right?”

“How’d…”

“Muse told me about him applying for that scholarship.” Her arms moved to cradle Sorey. He clutched at her waist, feeling himself begin to shake again.

“This won’t be what you want to hear, but I think it’s time to let him go.” Sorey shot up at this, staring wide eyed and mouth agape.

“You’re telling me to abandon my soul mate?”

“Sorey… we live in a cruel world where you might not be your soul mate’s soul mate.”

“How can that…” Sorey stopped when Selene leaned back and started to undo her button up. Four buttons down, and for the first time since his father’s death, he saw her mark. What had once been a vibrant gold colored V like shape cutting through an almost complete circle was now a pale pink, the skin looking almost glossy.

“There’s also the possibility that you are each other’s soul mates, but everything goes wrong and not even the universe can keep you together.”

“But… he died?”

“Yes, but what caused this,” she paused to re-button her shirt before meeting his gaze directly. “Was us fighting when he decided to walk a path I couldn’t follow.” Sorey went silent, finally understanding what she was getting at. He gave her a tight hug before slipping away to be alone with his thoughts.

_______________________________

In almost the same moment that Sorey fell onto the couch, he had Rose practically in his lap. She held a half finished drink, but if Sorey had properly counted, that was number five. His number three sitting on the table before them. She nearly spilled her drink when she flung an arm around his shoulders.

“Eeey, what’s got you l-looking so… sor-eeey?” Sorey blinked at her flushed face.

“Rose, that didn’t even make sense.” He let an arm slink around her waist to keep her from falling backwards.

“She has a point though. You do look rather down.” Sorey spun his head to the side, where a man with green tipped silver hair blocking his eyes sat on the floor leaning against the wall.

“Do I?” Sorey had thought he’d been covering it up.

“Hey hey, does a-neigh one notice it’s always with Lohgrin?” Rose spoke with her hands, and managed to flung some of her drink straight onto Sorey’s leg.

“Wha? Geez Rose, you really are drunk.”

“No, she has a point again.” A small voice chimed from another corner. Sorey hesitantly met her sharp blue-green eyes.

“Any time Lohgrin teams are on campus you get all mopey. Sormopey.” He huffed at the nickname. Making puns with his name never seemed to work well, yet never did she surrender.

“Guays, list. Lesten. I got this. Y’a see, I bet his matching mark is there…” How Rose remained conscious grew more mysterious with every word from her.

“Wow Rose. You really are drunk to think Sorey has a mark.”

“No, no, no listen. He _does_. I’ve _seen_ it.” Her arms flailed. If not for Sorey still holding her, she’d have face planted.

“Sorey.” Dezel’s intensity had been unexpected. Sorey shot Edna a look, which she returned with a grimace.

“Hey Rose, you wanna win five hundred gald?”

“Hell yeah I do!” In one soundless motion she sprang out of Sorey’s arms and stumbled her way to Edna. Dezel had already flown off to the kitchen. Sorey pushed himself up to follow.

Dezel leaned against a counter, arms across his chest. Sorey silently thanked that Dezel couldn’t see how fidgety he was.

“Cool it with the nervous jitters. Geez, this has to be really bad if I can’t tune the sounds out.” Sorey morphed into a board. But that still lead to Dezel grumbling because now it he couldn’t tell if Sorey was still there.

“I’ll wait for you.” Dezel spoke low, agitating evident. Sorey sighed before he stepped forward and held a hand out, asking for Dezel’s. With shaking breaths and pushing past the tremble in his arm, he lead Dezel to his hip. Sorey ignored the quirked eyebrow and set Dezel’s index finger against the upper point of his mark.

Dezel started to move up, only to quickly move down and around until he’d gained an approximation of the size of the mark, and a better grasp on where he was on Sorey’s body. While he’d never admit to it, Dezel had a fascination for the design of Soul Marks, and Sorey knew this meant some awkward minutes as he traced the design until he’d memorized every little detail.

“Is that… is it… scabbed?”

“Yeah. And while it used to be gorgeous like the sky, it resembles dirt now.” Sorey sighed, stepping back once Dezel’s hand fell.

“Last year of high school. We went on a trip that summer. I’d never felt more in love, and then I felt this.” Sorey pulled out a chair and fell into it.

“Theirs doesn’t match?”

“As far as I’m aware he doesn’t have one. But I’ve not talked to him in over a year now.”

“And he’s at Lohgrin.”

“Full ride too. I’m barely affording here.”

“Sorey. You can’t let it get worse.”

“Don’t really have a choice.”

“Dammit, you seriously aren’t going to fight for this? For your soul mate?” Sorey’s head fell, a long silence dragging before Sorey finally spoke.

“Dezel… it hurts just thinking about him. If I did run off to Lohgrin to find him, and he didn’t match… I couldn’t take it.” Dezel pushed off the counter, shucked his jacket off and rolled up his shirt to show an eight pointed wing like design in the middle of his ribs. Before seeing the design, Sorey saw the glossy lack of color. Just like mom’s…

“That drunken buffoon out there? Kid you not, I went to meet with her to tell her, only to have her show me a different mark.”

“Yet you still stay so close to her…”

“Because in this situation there’s only two options, mop around about how life shafted you out of your soul mate, or do your damnedest to make them as happy as you can without being the love of their life.”

“It’s too late though. We’re on different paths. And I doubt—”

“Cut the crap Sorey. Lemme guess, he pushed you away, or distanced himself because you were being pushy and now you feel you don’t deserve him?” Sorey gasped lowly before biting his lip.

“You’re gonna get in contact with him, even if I have to ship your ass to Lohgrin.

“Dezel…”

“If he’s already got something different, then I’ll leave you be. But you’re gonna fight until you can’t.”

“Heh, I’m really not getting a choice am I?” This was less a question and more an affirmation to Sorey. Turning back to his abandoned drink on the table, he slammed down the rest before bringing out his phone and opening a new message.

_________________________

Sorey couldn’t have been more thankful that Mikleo had a single dorm room. Though his friends were in and out of it constantly. How they could all live in the same hall baffled Sorey. As much as he loved Dezel, Rose, and Edna there were plenty of nights that he thanked them living in different buildings that all locked after a certain hour.

Even though Sorey hadn’t seen Mikleo in over a year, he could see the exhaustion on his face. Sorey hesitantly took a seat in the desk chair while Mikleo stretched out on his bed. His loose fitting tank top slid up as he stretched his arms above his head. Sorey only spared a quick glance.

“So what brought you out here?” Mikleo tucked his hands behind his head.

“Uh, I’ve got a term paper I need to do research for.”

“What are you focusing on? There’s a lot around here I could show you.”

“I haven’t quite decided. Just wanted to get a quick feel and see what caught my attention.” Sorey couldn’t lie if his life depended on it. But fate was on his side and had actually assigned him a paper only a day before he left for this trip.

“But I’ve got to relate it to an earlier paper I did about the history of Soul Marks.” Sorey plucked at a scab on his hand as he debated his next words.

“If I compiled every paper I’ve written about Soul Marks, I’d have a complete history.” Mikleo chuckled.

“You still Plain Mikleo?” How Sorey had worked both a smile and a light laugh into those words could only be called a miracle. His face went scarlet instantly.

“L-like that matters. You don’t need a mark to write about them.”

“The great author of your favorite Soul Mark book, Mikleo Luzrov Rulay, who hasn’t a clue what having a mark is like.” Sorey’s laugh was cut short by a pillow to the face. Sorey grinned, Mikleo gulped, and then before he could do anything Sorey had sprang forward to launch the pillow at Mikleo’s face. Although this only served as a distraction so that Sorey could plant his hands against Mikleo’s sides. A year had left Mikleo defenseless and without the ability to fight back.

Sorey stopped once Mikleo was red down to his neck, and utterly breathless. Almost, almost he thought about leaning down, but instead forced himself off the bed.

“Mikleo—”

“It’s really been over a year, and yet it feels like I just saw you yesterday.”

“Look I…”

“Just stop Sorey.” His words harsher than rock. So harsh that Sorey jumped back and into the desk. Hands catching himself on the edge, and then fingers curling as his head hung. He told himself he wouldn’t cry regardless of what happened.

“I don’t understand it. All my research, all the people I’ve talked to. And every single one says you and I should have marks.” He paused for a breath. Fleetingly, he glanced at Sorey. A single sigh moved his entire self before slowly sitting only to twist away from facing Sorey. Eyes stayed to the floor; knowing he’d crack if he actually saw Sorey’s face.

Sorey, his childhood friend. His best friend. Who he’d spent years believing would be his One and Only. Yet here they stood, both about to graduate from university, and make their first big step towards the rest of their lives. And Mikleo still had no mark. Constantly checking, and checking.

“Remember that first trip we took to Elysia?” Sorey’s voice cracked, hoarse and strained. His head didn’t lift, but he leaned more against the desk.

“Back in high school? Wha—”

“It… it happened then…” Sorey interjected with an almost whine. Teeth dug into his lip as he failed to meet Mikleo’s questioning eyes. Shaking hands traveled to his left hip. Less than a second away from questioning, and Mikleo went stiff. There, clinging to the vertical curve of Sorey’s hip, sat a rust colored mark that Sorey had always thought looked like a bow and arrow.

Mikleo had to remind himself to breath, and once oxygen returned to his system, his own hands went to unbuckling in order to reveal his right hip. Unintentionally, his eyes had clamped shut. He swallowed hard before running his fingers along his own bone. Nothing felt abnormal, until he hit a smooth, V shaped patch of skin. With sharp breaths, he forced his eyes open and down to see the bow and arrow shape that had no color other than faint pink.

“This… This doesn’t make any sense!” He hadn’t meant to shout, nor had he meant to let tears stream. Sorey pushed himself off the desk and took a half step before stopping.

“That moment the books always talk about? The one where you feel like the universe has aligned just for you? And the person you’re with becomes the most perfect thing to ever exist?” He paused, giving Mikleo a chance to speak. As if he’d need clarification.

“I doubt you remember, but there was one point where you got so excited you grabbed my hand. To anyone else, it would have been nothing. But for me, that was my Marking.”

“For the next week I kept waiting for you to come rushing to show me yours. Before I knew it, years had passed. I still waited. Every day.” His words heavy, each syllable beating against Mikleo’s chest. Sobs barely muffled behind hands. Sorey half turned away, fingers still tracing his mark. Mikleo had fallen back, forearm covering his eyes.

Memories flashed against Mikleo’s eyelids, every instance with Sorey that could have been his moment, including what had been Sorey’s. “It’s not like we’re soul mates.” “What… makes you think we aren’t?” Never had he believed the stories that one could interfere with their Marking. His closed fist beat against the bed, tears welling.

Weakly, and with trembling arms, Mikleo pushed himself up to see Sorey. Despite the dim electric candle light and Sorey’s bangs, Mikleo could see those glossy green eyes. Before he could blink, the weight of the universe fell on his shoulders. Pinpricks ran through his abdomen as Sorey suddenly seemed to radiate sunlight. Then Mikleo’s mark started throbbing with an intensity felt throughout his entire leg.

Shifting enough to see past the tips of his hair, Sorey found Mikleo clutching at his hip. Every muscle in him tried to resist the universal force pulling him forward. A hand reached out, not once had he thought or realized what he was doing, until he had lifted Mikleo’s head by his chin. Even with his heart smacking itself against his ribs, Sorey stood still, watching how those violets darted every which way. Only when they finally centered did Sorey let himself speak.

“We can fix this…” Whether Sorey believed that remained unknown, but he only needed to convince Mikleo.

“Those are only myths… there’s not been one recorded instance of fixing a Fracture.”

“Then I guess you need to start writing this down.” His words were slow, attention going to the thumb rubbing Mikleo’s cheek.

“Why— You don’t dese—”

“No. I’m not letting you finish that. Because it’s entirely wrong. You’ll always be my one, you know that won’t change.” Between words, he’d leaned closer and closer, until only centimeters rested between their lips. Mikleo’s gaze dropped to Sorey’s lips, lingering for a few seconds before jumping back up. Their hands had intertwined without either noticing.

Mikleo knew Sorey’s universe was trying to pull them together, but his just kept adding more knives to his heart. Each beat more painful than the last all while the cracks between their souls feeling like rocks in his stomach. Even though he wanted to erase those centimeters, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it would be pointless. Dread filled his gut; nowhere in him did he believe a Fracture could be healed. He swallowed hard. But if Sorey did…

Lips met in the slightest brush.

Lightening ran through Sorey, while Mikleo felt flooded. Neither could look at the other for long seconds.

Neither thought about what they were doing, everything touch, every kiss feeling natural and yet strange all at once. And yet, even though both would bet a happy ending impossible, they’d managed to plant a seed of doubt. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'll see myself out for writing poor Sorey suffering. And adding to my pile of Mikleo suffering.


End file.
